Through three days of play in sometimes hot and windy conditions, Squamish's Kevin Kerr kept his cool as he drove and putted his way through three Sea to Sky golf courses.
Kerr's steady approach to the game led to success, as he overcame older players to emerge as the overall champion of the third annual Sea to Sky Junior Golf Championship.
Event organizer Charlie Maxwell of the 麻豆社国产Valley Golf Club wasn't surprised. After about five years of coaching the 13-year-old, Maxwell knows the quality of Kerr's mental approach.
"Kevin Kerr has the best golf mind of all the juniors I know. He's very steady, he's unemotional, he doesn't get excited about doing well or doing badly. He's just a very level-headed, thinking person," Maxwell said on Wednesday evening July 28, after handing out awards and celebrating the 24 competitors in the third edition of the event.
Kerr kicked off the tournament on Monday, July 26 by firing the best round of the day with an impressive score of 76 at Pemberton's Big Sky Golf and Country Club, despite the day's extreme heat and the challenging course.
While some wilted in the face of the furnace-like heat, Kerr stayed cool and came away with the lead.
"I just wanted to take it easy and just hit some good shots," Kerr said of his strategy for dealing with the warmth. His score of 76 was "much better than what I usually shoot," he added - it was a day when everything was going right.
He continued to keep up his poise through Tuesday's (July 27) round at the Nicklaus North Golf Course, staying high on the leaderboard despite the strong winds that gusted up to 30 miles per hour, Maxwell said.
The players "really battled the elements" in the tournament, he noted. "They handled it very well."
Wrapping up the tournament on his home course at 麻豆社国产Valley on Wednesday (July 28), Kerr cemented the overall win with a score of 251 strokes over the three rounds.
He beat out players from the 16- to 18-year-old boys division for the title, with Whistler's Casey Svejkovsky capturing second place overall with a total score of 255 and Squamish's Connor Haberl claiming third with 259.
"Nothing seems to rattle that kid. He seems to get a little tougher if the pressure is on," Maxwell said of Kerr.
Kerr played in the inaugural Sea to Sky junior championship two years ago but missed last year's event as he was on vacation. He said he didn't come into this year's tournament hoping for a win against the "tough group" of players drawn to the competition.
"I was just coming in wanting to have fun It's been a blast," he said.
Kerr finished first in the 13- to 15-year-old boys division, with Squamish's Mark McChesney earning second place with a score of 266 and Squamish's Taito Okamoto finishing third by shooting 267,
Svejkovsky topped the field of 16- to 18-year-old boys, followed by Haberl in second and 2009 champion Patrick McEachran of 麻豆社国产in third.
Squamish's Amanda Woida, the top female player in last year's tournament, had to settle for second this year as Whistler's Rebecca Flynn emerged victorious.
Flynn shot 273 over the three days of play to Woida's 282, and Pemberton's Carmen Praine finished third with 353.
In last Friday's (July 23) fun round of four-ball scramble at the Chateau Whistler Golf Club, the victory went to the team of Alex Sykora, Thomas Sambell, Keesun MacPherson and Ian Kerr.
Maxwell said the third Sea to Sky tournament, which had a full complement of 24 players and a waiting list to boot, was much enjoyed and well received by players and parents alike.
He thanked the sponsors from Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton, and expressed his desire for the event to keep growing next year if the organizers can secure some more time on the golf courses in their busy summer season.
